By a 13-1 vote, the Los Angeles City Council today voted to approve an aggressive plastic bag ban that is aimed at saving taxpayer money for trash cleanup, promoting sustainability, and improving the environment. more ›

If LA City councilman Paul Koretz has his way, pet stores in Los Angeles will soon only be able to sell their fuzzy, adorable wares if they've been procured from shelters or rescues -- not from puppy mills. The councilman introduced a motion to that effect at a city council meeting yesterday, reports the Huffington Post, as part of an attempt to make LA a no-kill city. The motion was approved in an 11-1 vote. more ›

Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council took steps forward in crafting an aggressive ban on single-use plastic and paper bags. The council's Energy and Environment Committee unanimously passed a recommendation for a three-phase ban that would, if enacted, become "one of the most-far reaching measures in the nation," describes Heal the Bay. more ›

In a preliminary vote taken today, the Los Angeles City Council has voted 11-1 in favor of an ordinance put forth that would require actors in adult films wear condoms. Adherence to the ordinance would be a condition of film companies receiving filming permits. more ›

If you are among the 50,000 drivers with outstanding fines due for red light camera tickets, sorry, but the city is still looking to collect that money from you. Today the Los Angeles City Council voted in favor of continuing to pay the contractor hired to collect those fines. more ›

There's a new position opening up at City Hall for someone who doesn't mind getting tough about bills getting paid. It's what's being called the "Collections Czar," and the role was approved by a 9-1 vote this morning during today's regular City Council Meeting. more ›

Councilman Paul Koretz is undertaking a mission to ban stores and individuals from selling puppies born at puppy mills, reports ABC 7. The push starts slowly -- Koretz has introduced a bill that would study the possibility of banning sales of the animals, many of which are bought and sold through pet stores. The councilmember hopes that by banning animals purchased at mills, more shelter animals could make their way to the stores and find homes. more ›

Put down those bath salts, step away from the tub - we know what you're up to! LA City Councilmember Paul Koretz is calling for a citywide ban on the sale and use of "bath salts" and has deemed them a designer drug, according to KTLA. How have seemingly innocuous bath salts become a dangerous substance? more ›

Should a construction company seeking a contract from the city for its next big project be able to donate to or fundraise for political campaigns? If you ask the Los Angeles Ethics Commission and at least one-third of the City Council, the answer is "no." more ›

As Los Angeles law stands today, you can only own and register up to three cats and/or dogs. More than that would require a resident to qualify for a kennel permit. Now a motion to increase that number to five is gaining traction on both sides of the issue, finds the Daily News. more ›

Today the Los Angeles City Council will consider transferring money that by law has to improve streets to fund a staffmember that will partially focus on improving streets. The item was uncovered by the blog Hollywood Unbound, which pays particular attention to the little-talked about Street Furniture Revenue Fund, an account funded by ads placed on bus shelters and other pieces of street furniture. more ›

Today's LA Times includes an opinion piece by the LA Weekly's Jonathan Gold in defense of food trucks. Specifically in defense of the trucks as they face potential political foes such as Councilmen Paul Koretz and Tom La Bonge, both who have made waves--and enemies--for calling for tougher regulations or, in some cases, getting rid of them altogether. Recently, La Bonge proposed creating specific zones for truck parking. more ›

Food trucks are nothing new and have been part of the Southern Californian culture for decades. In fact, an estimated 6,000 roam the streets of Los Angeles County today. But with their recent rise in popularity, specifically due to new gourmet ones, there have been impacts. Some of those impacts are about the law, such as illegally parking, and others are ethical, like parking a food truck smack dab in front of a restaurant. more ›

Complaints about food trucks over the past year have gotten to Councilmember Tom LaBonge, who represents a portion of Wilshire Boulevard where it has become a ground zero of sorts between brick and mortar businesses and the mobile eateries. "I appreciate the the value they can add to our culinary landscape," he said earlier this week during a public meeting, but he explained that something had to be done. On Friday he took the first step by submitting two food truck motions for the Los Angeles City Council to consider. more ›

The second floor of city hall is home to the snack bar. For years Guilliano’s sold snacks, beverages, breakfast, and lunch to both staff and public alike. But talk around city hall has brought a new issue to the forefront, one that hits closer to home for a lot city councilmembers. more ›

Some might say that proper dinner etiquette means refraining from discussions on religion, money and politics. On the streets of Los Angeles, however, food and politics go hand in hand. Just a few years ago, the Carne Asada is not a Crime movement swept headlines locally and nationally after L.A. County Supervisors bowed to brick and mortar restaurants, placing strict parking limits on taco trucks parking in unincorporated areas. Once the ordinance went into effect, it didn't take too long for a judge to throw it out, letting the 4,000 or so taco trucks in the county go back to business as usual. more ›

Want to rent this place? Then you'll have to declaw your cat and devocalize your dog. That's what some Californians face when looking for rentals and it's something Assemblyman Pedro Nava wants to put a stop to. His bill, AB 2743, seeks to prohibit landlords and property managers from requiring cat declawing and dog debarking procedures as a condition of rent. However, the bill only applies to rentals that allow pets in the first place -- if a place has a no pets policy, then the subject is null. more ›

As Councilmember Paul Koretz describes it, he's been "bombarded" with e-mails from food truck supporters after a coalition rallied supporters to contact him over his stance on the mobile eateries. "I'm not necessarily a fan, but it's not my mission to stop it," he told LAist on Friday, admitting you'll occasionally find him eating at them, namely the Canters Truck and traditional taco trucks grabbing a burrito. more ›

A new and humorous Twitter account appeared this week mocking a city councilmember for his apparent lack of consistency and conviction in the way he does business. Based on last week's drama, @NotPaulKoretz was probably created by a food truck vendor, or at least a die hard advocate. more ›

Forget power lunching. Where it's at when it comes to what you can eat at lunchtime, the business to be in from now on in Los Angeles is construction. Because according to one official, that's the only group of people who should be able to buy their lunch from a truck. more ›

During a Thursday meeting of the L.A. City Council Energy and Environment committee, members learned of the Department of Water & Power's plans to increase electricity rates by 37% over the next four years, according to the LA Times. Part of that includes Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's carbon surcharge, which could up customer's bills by 9% to 28% to increase the amount of renewable energy used in the city to 20% by the end of 2010. more ›

Los Angeles currently has a handful of food policy initiatives in the works and today one of them took a step forward. Last November, Councilman Paul Koretz introduced a motion based on a blueprint to end hunger (.pdf) in Los Angeles County published by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, which called attention to the local hunger problem, food insecurity and lack of access to fresh and healthy foods. more ›

Yesterday during the meeting of the Los Angeles City Council, alternatives to laying off up to 4,000 employees was discussed. But in order to see those results, the mantra of "sharing the sacrifice" reared its head again. LA Times' Steve Lopez poses the question: "Would you take a pay cut to save your co-workers' jobs?" A 10% cut to a worker paid $50,000 a year would mean $5,000 less annually. If that happens, it won't be the first time many city employees have taken a cut. more ›

A resolution to support a ballot initiative that would fully fund state parks, thus protecting them from budget raids that prompt closures, failed to garner support from a L.A. City Council committee (.pdf) yesterday afternoon. At issue for Councilmembers Dennis Zine and Tony Cardenas were the fees associated with the proposal. more ›

It's 3:30 p.m. and the Los Angeles City Council's Budget and Finance Committee is in session. It sounds boring, but Los Angeles is facing a current $208 million budget shortfall and an expected $400 million shortfall come July, when the new fiscal year begins (and not to mention a $1 billion shortfall in future years). That could translate thousands of employee layoffs and basic city services not being done--think more potholes, less tree trimming, more sidewalks and streets in disrepair, unresolved dispute resolutions, crimes, civil and criminal, going un-prosecuted, unfunded arts grants, less disability services, lower parks staffing and lots more. more ›

It may seem like it, but parking enforcement officers are not everywhere. Who is everywhere, however, is the public. And in the Valley, one of the most complained about quality of life issues are mobile billboards, specifically ones sitting atop unhitched trailers. So why not educate the already-exasperated residents on how to spot illegal mobile advertisements and report them? more ›

The proposal to increase speed limits on two Valley streets was stalled by the City Council's Transportation committee this afternoon after concerns were brought up by the public and politicians alike. "I've got serious concerns with moving this forward," stated Councilman Paul Koretz, whose district includes the two streets in question, Riverside Drive and Chandler Boulevard, which could be raised to 40 and 45 miles per hour, respectively. more ›

On the heels of West Hollywood and Santa Monica, Los Angeles councilmembers will consider banning the practice of declawing. "Declawing is not a simple cosmetic procedure akin to a manicure or a pedicure," says the motion, authored by Councilmember Paul Koretz and Bill Rosendahl. more ›

Have a frank talk with an LADWP official this month and they'll tell you it's been a tough few weeks. The perception of the city-owned utility has gone downhill amid a series of water main breaks, the sudden resignation of David Nahai (however, with a comfy consulting gig) and one moderate rainstorm knocking out electricity service to nearly 50,000 customers. more ›